


basic instinct

by milkovichs



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Drinking & Talking, Eventual Fluff, M/M, Minor Lip Gallagher/Mandy Milkovich, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 16:31:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10167200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milkovichs/pseuds/milkovichs
Summary: "Well if you had a second chance to make things right, would you? You know, make things right. All your regrets, would you fix them if you could?"





	

As Ian entered the Gallagher household the fresh scent of strawberry pancakes hit him instantly, _who the fuck was making pancakes at 2 am?_ Ian walked over to the kitchen and saw that it was Lip. When Lip saw his brother they both shared a big grin and went in for a hug.

"Hey man. Why the hell are you making pancakes this early?" Ian laughed, walking over the fridge to get a beer.

"Friend from AA said it's better to eat sweets than drink beer, plus can't sleep"

"Shit, is it alright if I drink this?" Ian asked, holding up his beer.

"You tell me man," Lip chuckled, flipping over a pancake, "It's fine. Want some?"

"Nah, not really hungry. Probably gonna go to bed in a few." Ian replied, sitting down at the dining table.

"Suit yourself. You got here pretty late, rough night at work?"

"Yeah, we've been really busy these days."

"The life of being an EMT, huh?" Lip said as he scooped his pancakes on a plate and grabbed a bottle of syrup, now walking over to sit by Ian at the dining table.

"The american dream." Ian snorted.

"So, what else has been going on in the life of Ian Gallagher?" Lip clapped his hands, taking a bit from his pancakes.

"Eh, nothin' much. Just been working lately." Ian replied, staring and playing with his beer bottle.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! I'm fine. Just been stressed."

"Bout' what?"

"Nothing, nothing." Ian waved off.

"Dude, we haven't talked since Monica's funeral. Which was like what? 3 weeks ago? What's up?"

"It's nothing really." Ian sighed.

"C'mon man, it's me, Lip. You know? Your brother. The one you used to tell everything too."

"Man, shut up." Ian laughed.

"Then tell me what's up. Something botherin' you?"

Ian heisted to speak at first, but Lip was his brother and they did tell everything to each other. "I.. Look you can't tell Fiona or anyone, okay?"

"Since when do Gallagher's snitch? Especially on each other."

"Yeah. You're right."

"What happened?"

"I.. Um.. I saw Mickey a couple weeks ago, the day before Monica's funeral actually." Ian admitted, finally.

"Mickey? No shit?"

"Yeah.."

"Well, what happened?"

"It's a long story."

"I got time." Lip said with a sly smirk, leaning back in his chair.

"Long story short, Mickey escaped prison, we met up, told me I should go to Mexico with him, I did, well.. Until the border, I kind of told him I couldn't at the last minute."

"You pussied out?"

"Shut up."

"Wait, so Mickey's in Mexico right now?"

"Yep." Ian took another swing from his beer.

"Well why'd you even go with him in the first place if you were just going to leave him?"

"I just.. I don't know.. Wanted to make sure he got there safe, you know? Without the cops on his ass and shit."

"Ah. So that's why you were gone those days you said you missed? You were with Mickey?"

"Yeah." 

"Huh. I figured."

"What?"

"Well.. Cops come saying he escaped one night, you're gone the next. Not that hard to put the pieces together, Ian."

"Wait, you knew? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I wasn't that sure. But not really my business to just blurt out. Plus, didn't really want to say anything around Fi. You know how she feels about the Milkovichs."

"Yeah." Ian scoffed in disgust, "She was such a bitch to Mandy."

"Can't really blame her. Jimmysteve did lie to her and all that shit. He broke her, probably just didn't want us to end that why with Mickey and Mandy."

"Yeah, but _we_ were the ones that ended up breaking them."

"Yeah.."

"But it's all in the past now."  
  
"Well if you had a second chance to make things right, would you?"

"What?" Ian asked, question catching him off guard.

"You know, make things right. All your regrets, would you fix them if you could?"

"I don't know.. Would you?"

"Fuck yeah man. Fix getting back in college, take back every banging Karen, fix my relationship with Mandy. I could have made her stay if I really tried, you know, all I had to say was "I love you" back, just those three simple words, but I didn't. And I fucking regret it everyday of my life, knowing that there was a chance I could have made her stay."

"You can't say something you don't mean, Lip."

"But I could have, and I did love her, Ian. She was perfect-"

"She ran over Karen."

"I know. But that's just how the Milkovichs are, that's how they express their feelings, it's fucked up, trust me I know, but you can't blame them, man. Just how they were raised, had a shittier father than us. For fucks sake, Mickey even drugged Sammi for messing with you."

"But _I_ didn't ask him too, he shouldn't have done that."

"Really? How about all that other shit he's done for you. Came out for you, went out of his way to get you from that shitty club, stopped Svetlana from calling the cops on your ass when you took his baby. But, guess you didn't ask for any of that either, huh?"

"How do you know all that?"

"Mickey and I had our moments."

"Why the fuck are you taking his side?"

"Why the fuck aren't you? Look, Ian, I love you but why are you seeing Mickey and Mandy as villains now? Mandy was your, no, she _is_ your best friend. Mickey.. He _was_ your boyfriend. You wouldn't be where you are today if it wasn't for him." Ian glanced down, staying silent.

"Look.. What I was, _am_ , trying to say is, I fucked up. With college, Karen, Mandy, I fucked up, bad. I'm trying to get my life back together, but I can't get back into college, right now at least, I can't take back for messing around with Karen when I was with Mandy and for what she did to Karen, and I can't take back not saying "I love you" to Mandy. You know why? Because they're all gone."

"What are you trying to say?"

"You're in a good position right? Great job and everything. Shit, doing better than me. But I don't want you to regret what you did. To Mickey, leaving him behind like that, because I know I still regret letting Mandy go. But Ian, you have a chance to make it right, with him. He loves you and I know you still love him. Your life is great right now but you're not happy. Is having a great life really worth not ever being happy again? You know where he is right now, all you have to do is go to him. This time, you have to be the one to chase after him, not Mickey."

"Mexico is a big place, could be anywhere."

"You'll find him. You two always find a way back to each other." Lip said getting up and patting Ian on the shoulder.

"So you're really suggesting I just drop everything to go look for Mickey?"

"Your words, not mine."

"You're the one that popped the idea in my head, dipshit." Ian rolled his eyes making Lip chuckle. "If you were still in college and Mandy were still here, would you drop everything just to be with her?"

"I would have taken her with me if I wasn't so stupid back then." Lip mumbled. 

"Did you forget I have a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, same boyfriend that hasn't talked to you since Monica's funeral?" Ian opened his mouth to speak but then shut it, which made Lip laugh. "Thought so."

"Look man, sorry to spill all that shit on you, probably still high or something. Just forget about it, alright? I'm going to bed." Lip waved off, walking upstairs.

"Wait, Lip!" Ian called.

"Yeah?"

"How.. How do you know I'm not happy anymore?"

"You don't get that **_look_** in your eye anymore. Not even with Trevor."  

" _Oh._ "

"Forget what I said man. I was just blabbering. Night. But.. I know when the time comes, you'll make it right." And with that, Lip went upstairs to his bedroom. 

"Okay, yeah, night." Ian said with a soft smile than sighed a second later. _Fucking Lip._ He probably got that " _look in your eye_ " line from Mandy, and he wasn't high, far from it, just said all that shit to play with him. Lip was confusing the shit out of him, one minute he tells him how good Mickey is and the next it's just forget about it? Yeah, right. You can't forget someone like _Mickey fucking Milkovich_ even if you tried. 

_"Is having a great life really worth not ever being happy again?"_

_Fucking Lip._ Ian shook his head, it was late, he needed sleep. So with that, he headed upstairs. But he still thought about it, what Lip said. Could he do it? Would he really risk everything he had worked so hard for just to be with Mickey? Only time could tell.


End file.
